Anguish

Isaiah 38:9-14
Broadcast Featured Image

Hezekiah’s story provides insights into the anguish experienced during a crisis. The King felt fragile, anxious, and weary as he faced his illness, which resonates with many facing today’s challenges. The sermon highlights that feeling fragile, anxious, and weary is not a sign of weak faith but human reality.

Additionally, Pastor Colin points out the fears Hezekiah faced: the potential separation from loved ones, being cut off from life’s opportunities, and even the fear that God might be against him. These fears are relatable and remind us to cherish loved ones and make the most of our time.

The sermon concludes with a message of hope, encouraging people to let their anguish lead them to Jesus, who experienced separation and being cut off but overcame death, offering eternal life. Pastor Colin urges everyone to seek comfort in Jesus during their times of crisis and fear, finding rest and peace in His presence.

1 00:00:00,200 –> 00:00:04,760 Well, please open your Bible at Isaiah and chapter 38. 2 00:00:04,760 –> 00:00:08,560 We’re looking again at this remarkable story 3 00:00:08,560 –> 00:00:11,980 of a Godly king by the name of Hezekiah 4 00:00:11,980 –> 00:00:14,880 who faced an unexpected crisis. 5 00:00:14,880 –> 00:00:18,160 Verse one, Hezekiah became sick 6 00:00:18,160 –> 00:00:21,440 and was at the point of death. 7 00:00:21,440 –> 00:00:24,680 And we saw that the very first response 8 00:00:24,680 –> 00:00:28,559 of this Godly king when he faced the unexpected crisis 9 00:00:28,559 –> 00:00:33,500 was to pray, verse two Hezekiah turned his face to the wall 10 00:00:33,500 –> 00:00:36,959 and he prayed to the Lord. 11 00:00:36,959 –> 00:00:41,480 Now this story has a very wonderful and happy ending. 12 00:00:41,480 –> 00:00:46,480 God heard Hezekiah’s prayer and wonderfully healed him. 13 00:00:47,080 –> 00:00:50,619 And from this, we learned a very important principle 14 00:00:50,619 –> 00:00:52,980 that speaks to us today. 15 00:00:52,980 –> 00:00:57,020 God is sovereign in all things, 16 00:00:57,080 –> 00:01:02,080 but His sovereignty includes the prayers of His people. 17 00:01:03,380 –> 00:01:05,440 Then last week, we looked at 18 00:01:05,440 –> 00:01:09,940 how God answered Hezekiah’s prayer. 19 00:01:09,940 –> 00:01:12,739 Isaiah the prophet said verse 21, 20 00:01:12,739 –> 00:01:17,699 take a cake of figs and apply it to the boil. 21 00:01:17,699 –> 00:01:22,699 And we saw from that that God normally uses means 22 00:01:23,440 –> 00:01:28,300 though there are some things that only God Himself can do. 23 00:01:28,300 –> 00:01:31,379 Only God can forgive sins. 24 00:01:31,379 –> 00:01:33,559 Only God can change the heart. 25 00:01:33,559 –> 00:01:36,980 Only God can raise the dead. 26 00:01:36,980 –> 00:01:41,239 Jesus was crucified and dead and buried, 27 00:01:41,239 –> 00:01:45,580 but on the third day, God raised Him from the dead 28 00:01:45,580 –> 00:01:50,580 and because He lives, we will live also. 29 00:01:50,919 –> 00:01:55,919 There are some things that only God can do 30 00:01:56,839 –> 00:02:01,059 but normally He uses means. 31 00:02:01,059 –> 00:02:03,300 Now that’s a really important principle 32 00:02:03,300 –> 00:02:06,639 and last time we applied it to this crisis 33 00:02:06,639 –> 00:02:09,380 that we are facing today. 34 00:02:09,380 –> 00:02:12,860 A new virus is sweeping across the world, 35 00:02:12,860 –> 00:02:14,380 what should we do? 36 00:02:14,380 –> 00:02:17,360 Well first answer, we should pray, 37 00:02:17,779 –> 00:02:20,759 but we should also use with that 38 00:02:20,759 –> 00:02:23,960 whatever means are available 39 00:02:23,960 –> 00:02:27,839 to restrain the rapid progress of this virus. 40 00:02:27,839 –> 00:02:30,080 God works through means 41 00:02:30,080 –> 00:02:32,720 and so we should wash our hands, 42 00:02:32,720 –> 00:02:34,179 we should stay at home, 43 00:02:34,179 –> 00:02:37,479 we should practice social distancing 44 00:02:37,479 –> 00:02:39,119 and as we do these things, 45 00:02:39,119 –> 00:02:42,600 we should pray that God would use these things 46 00:02:42,600 –> 00:02:45,820 as means by which in His kindness 47 00:02:45,820 –> 00:02:50,820 He would slow and restrain the progress of this virus. 48 00:02:51,119 –> 00:02:52,320 Now that’s where we’ve got to 49 00:02:52,320 –> 00:02:55,039 in this remarkable chapter of the Bible. 50 00:02:55,039 –> 00:02:56,919 We’ve looked at the beginning 51 00:02:56,919 –> 00:02:59,220 and we’ve looked at the end 52 00:02:59,220 –> 00:03:04,220 of this unexpected crisis that afflicted King Hezekiah. 53 00:03:04,339 –> 00:03:07,740 But what was it like in the middle? 54 00:03:07,740 –> 00:03:10,360 See, we know that God restored him, 55 00:03:11,320 –> 00:03:13,860 but what was it like for Hezekiah 56 00:03:13,880 –> 00:03:18,679 when he was actually going through this unexpected crisis 57 00:03:18,679 –> 00:03:22,940 that brought him to the very point of death? 58 00:03:22,940 –> 00:03:25,860 Well, today we’re going to look together 59 00:03:25,860 –> 00:03:29,259 at the experience of a godly man 60 00:03:29,259 –> 00:03:33,419 as he waits for God’s deliverance. 61 00:03:33,419 –> 00:03:36,440 See, when the crisis first hit, 62 00:03:36,440 –> 00:03:39,360 the initial experience for Hezekiah, 63 00:03:39,360 –> 00:03:42,940 as our experience has been over these last weeks, 64 00:03:42,979 –> 00:03:45,020 was one of shock. 65 00:03:45,020 –> 00:03:48,139 And then at the end of the crisis, 66 00:03:48,139 –> 00:03:51,220 it was one of hope, it was one of great gratitude. 67 00:03:51,220 –> 00:03:53,899 But what was it like in the middle? 68 00:03:53,899 –> 00:03:56,580 Well, I’m suggesting to you from the scriptures today 69 00:03:56,580 –> 00:04:00,360 that the word that sums up Hezekiah’s experience 70 00:04:00,360 –> 00:04:04,800 as he went through this crisis is the word anguish. 71 00:04:04,800 –> 00:04:07,600 That’s what it was like for him. 72 00:04:07,600 –> 00:04:11,419 And again, I think that this speaks very directly 73 00:04:11,479 –> 00:04:13,559 to where we are today. 74 00:04:13,559 –> 00:04:16,239 We’ve come through this shock 75 00:04:16,239 –> 00:04:20,459 of our lives being interrupted. 76 00:04:20,459 –> 00:04:24,559 We’ve affirmed our hope and our faith 77 00:04:24,559 –> 00:04:27,200 in the Lord Jesus Christ. 78 00:04:27,200 –> 00:04:29,079 But right now, I think many of us 79 00:04:29,079 –> 00:04:32,980 are beginning to experience anguish. 80 00:04:32,980 –> 00:04:37,000 And especially as we’re being told 81 00:04:37,040 –> 00:04:39,839 that the anguish is likely to get worse 82 00:04:39,839 –> 00:04:42,059 over these next weeks. 83 00:04:42,059 –> 00:04:43,779 Well, we need to be prepared. 84 00:04:43,779 –> 00:04:48,179 And therefore, God’s word is speaking directly 85 00:04:48,179 –> 00:04:49,959 to where we find ourselves 86 00:04:49,959 –> 00:04:54,200 in the middle of this crisis today. 87 00:04:55,040 –> 00:04:59,920 So, please have your Bible open at Isaiah chapter 38. 88 00:04:59,920 –> 00:05:01,820 And we begin at verse nine, 89 00:05:01,820 –> 00:05:05,880 where we read a writing of Hezekiah, the King of Judah, 90 00:05:05,880 –> 00:05:10,880 after he had been sick and had recovered from his sickness. 91 00:05:12,299 –> 00:05:15,380 And so, these verses that we’re looking at today 92 00:05:15,380 –> 00:05:19,899 were written by Hezekiah as a reflection on his experience. 93 00:05:19,899 –> 00:05:22,200 After he had recovered, 94 00:05:22,200 –> 00:05:24,059 he wrote down as it were, 95 00:05:24,059 –> 00:05:29,059 the inside story of his experience. 96 00:05:29,579 –> 00:05:32,839 He tells us what he felt. 97 00:05:32,839 –> 00:05:36,760 He tells us what he feared. 98 00:05:36,760 –> 00:05:39,600 And we’re going to focus in on these things 99 00:05:39,600 –> 00:05:43,619 that speak directly to us today. 100 00:05:43,619 –> 00:05:46,420 Now notice that he felt three things 101 00:05:46,420 –> 00:05:49,299 during this unexpected crisis. 102 00:05:49,299 –> 00:05:53,480 First, he felt fragile. 103 00:05:53,480 –> 00:05:54,980 Verse 12. 104 00:05:54,980 –> 00:05:59,920 My dwelling is plucked up and removed from me 105 00:05:59,920 –> 00:06:03,540 like a shepherd’s tent. 106 00:06:03,540 –> 00:06:05,959 Now remember, this man is a king. 107 00:06:05,959 –> 00:06:07,559 He has power. 108 00:06:07,559 –> 00:06:09,380 He has wealth. 109 00:06:09,380 –> 00:06:11,200 He has plans. 110 00:06:11,200 –> 00:06:14,480 He lives in a palace. 111 00:06:14,480 –> 00:06:18,480 But when this unexpected crisis comes, 112 00:06:18,480 –> 00:06:22,380 he suddenly feels his own fragility. 113 00:06:23,299 –> 00:06:24,799 He lives in a palace, 114 00:06:24,799 –> 00:06:29,299 but his own body, he sees, is like a tent. 115 00:06:29,339 –> 00:06:31,019 It’s a fragile structure. 116 00:06:31,019 –> 00:06:35,019 It’s ropes, it’s canvas, and it’s easily taken down. 117 00:06:36,299 –> 00:06:39,100 Now this crisis is surely reminding 118 00:06:39,100 –> 00:06:41,220 each and every one of us 119 00:06:41,220 –> 00:06:44,540 that our lives are very fragile. 120 00:06:45,660 –> 00:06:48,380 In fact our whole world is fragile. 121 00:06:49,579 –> 00:06:52,679 Everything that this world lives for 122 00:06:53,700 –> 00:06:57,600 has been put on hold by a tiny virus. 123 00:06:58,559 –> 00:07:02,779 That’s how fragile this world in which we live is. 124 00:07:03,940 –> 00:07:05,440 Now I want to ask this question. 125 00:07:05,440 –> 00:07:07,540 Are you feeling fragile today? 126 00:07:09,079 –> 00:07:14,079 Well the feeling of our own fragility, 127 00:07:14,619 –> 00:07:17,859 it’s part of the anguish 128 00:07:17,859 –> 00:07:21,059 that comes with an unexpected crisis. 129 00:07:22,399 –> 00:07:25,619 And then Hezekiah tells us the second thing that he felt. 130 00:07:25,640 –> 00:07:26,679 And again, it’s something 131 00:07:26,679 –> 00:07:29,500 that I think many of us are experiencing today. 132 00:07:29,500 –> 00:07:31,440 He felt anxious. 133 00:07:31,440 –> 00:07:32,779 Verse 13. 134 00:07:32,779 –> 00:07:37,519 I calmed myself until morning. 135 00:07:37,519 –> 00:07:39,660 Now I take this to mean 136 00:07:39,660 –> 00:07:42,660 that the king spent the whole night 137 00:07:42,660 –> 00:07:45,380 trying to calm himself down. 138 00:07:45,380 –> 00:07:49,839 Anxiety is always worst during the night. 139 00:07:49,839 –> 00:07:51,640 And it gripped him 140 00:07:51,880 –> 00:07:55,079 and it persisted through the entire night 141 00:07:55,079 –> 00:07:56,059 until morning. 142 00:07:56,059 –> 00:07:58,420 I calmed myself until morning. 143 00:07:58,420 –> 00:08:02,640 I found that my mind was racing. 144 00:08:02,640 –> 00:08:07,239 I found that I couldn’t achieve a sense of peace. 145 00:08:07,239 –> 00:08:09,239 Anxiety was gripping me. 146 00:08:09,239 –> 00:08:11,859 Here’s a godly man and he’s in his bed 147 00:08:11,859 –> 00:08:14,339 but he can’t sleep. 148 00:08:14,339 –> 00:08:17,559 And the hours are creeping past 149 00:08:17,579 –> 00:08:21,359 and his mind simply will not rest. 150 00:08:22,320 –> 00:08:25,420 Now we’ll look at why he was so anxious 151 00:08:25,420 –> 00:08:26,799 just a little later. 152 00:08:26,799 –> 00:08:29,160 But for now, I want you simply to notice 153 00:08:29,160 –> 00:08:34,159 that anxiety was the experience of this godly King. 154 00:08:35,059 –> 00:08:37,080 This man walked with God. 155 00:08:37,080 –> 00:08:38,960 Remember that we read of him 156 00:08:38,960 –> 00:08:41,299 that there was no King as great as he 157 00:08:41,299 –> 00:08:43,419 no King who was more pleasing to God 158 00:08:43,419 –> 00:08:46,119 in the entire era in which he lived. 159 00:08:47,700 –> 00:08:50,059 And even this man who walked with God 160 00:08:50,059 –> 00:08:52,400 knew what it was to be anxious. 161 00:08:53,739 –> 00:08:55,280 You feeling anxious today? 162 00:08:56,219 –> 00:09:01,219 Well, anxiety is part of the anguish 163 00:09:01,820 –> 00:09:05,640 that comes with an unexpected crisis. 164 00:09:07,039 –> 00:09:09,440 And then he tells us very honestly 165 00:09:09,440 –> 00:09:12,520 a third thing that he experienced, 166 00:09:12,520 –> 00:09:14,080 and that was that he was weary. 167 00:09:14,159 –> 00:09:19,159 Verse 14, my eyes are weary with looking upward. 168 00:09:22,099 –> 00:09:25,840 No, again anyone who has been seriously ill 169 00:09:25,840 –> 00:09:29,580 knows that sickness is exhausting. 170 00:09:30,700 –> 00:09:34,080 But I want you to notice why he was weary. 171 00:09:35,140 –> 00:09:40,140 He says my eyes are weary with looking upward. 172 00:09:40,380 –> 00:09:41,799 Now that could mean of course 173 00:09:41,840 –> 00:09:44,299 that he was simply tired of lying on his bed 174 00:09:44,299 –> 00:09:45,659 and looking at the ceiling, 175 00:09:45,659 –> 00:09:47,260 but I think that there’s something more 176 00:09:47,260 –> 00:09:50,900 that he’s telling us in these words here. 177 00:09:50,900 –> 00:09:53,140 I assume that the King had been sick 178 00:09:53,140 –> 00:09:58,140 for some time before Isaiah came on that dramatic day 179 00:09:58,340 –> 00:10:01,919 and told him to set his house in order. 180 00:10:01,919 –> 00:10:04,359 And no doubt during the time that he had been ill, 181 00:10:04,359 –> 00:10:06,500 the King was calling upon the Lord 182 00:10:06,500 –> 00:10:10,039 and he was waiting for an answer and he’s tired waiting. 183 00:10:11,039 –> 00:10:12,280 And maybe there’s a prayer 184 00:10:12,280 –> 00:10:15,460 that you have been bringing to God for many years, 185 00:10:15,460 –> 00:10:17,700 something that’s the desire of your heart 186 00:10:17,700 –> 00:10:21,260 and you long for an answer and you’re tired waiting 187 00:10:21,260 –> 00:10:22,099 and you could say, 188 00:10:22,099 –> 00:10:26,840 my eyes are weary with looking upward. 189 00:10:26,840 –> 00:10:29,659 How long, O Lord. 190 00:10:30,960 –> 00:10:33,760 Are you feeling weary today? 191 00:10:34,799 –> 00:10:39,799 Well, again, being weary it’s part of the anguish 192 00:10:41,000 –> 00:10:45,840 that comes with an unexpected crisis. 193 00:10:48,200 –> 00:10:50,200 If we were all together today 194 00:10:50,200 –> 00:10:52,619 and how I wish we could all be together today, 195 00:10:53,780 –> 00:10:55,659 but if we were all here together today, 196 00:10:55,659 –> 00:10:58,119 I’d just ask for a show of hands right now, 197 00:10:58,119 –> 00:11:02,900 I’d say, is there anyone in the congregation of the orchard 198 00:11:02,900 –> 00:11:07,840 who is feeling a sense of being fragile 199 00:11:07,919 –> 00:11:11,080 or anxious or weary? 200 00:11:11,080 –> 00:11:12,640 I can’t do that right now, 201 00:11:12,640 –> 00:11:16,280 but I am absolutely convinced 202 00:11:16,280 –> 00:11:19,419 that what Hezekiah describes right here 203 00:11:20,679 –> 00:11:24,140 is getting at what we are feeling here 204 00:11:24,140 –> 00:11:27,380 and now today exactly. 205 00:11:29,479 –> 00:11:31,239 Maybe you’ve thought to yourself, 206 00:11:31,239 –> 00:11:32,520 well now wait a minute, 207 00:11:33,739 –> 00:11:34,820 I’m a Christian 208 00:11:35,780 –> 00:11:39,320 and I shouldn’t be feeling fragile 209 00:11:39,320 –> 00:11:40,719 or anxious 210 00:11:40,719 –> 00:11:41,559 or weary. 211 00:11:42,840 –> 00:11:45,039 And I’m saying to you 212 00:11:45,039 –> 00:11:48,640 that the Bible records of this godly king, 213 00:11:48,640 –> 00:11:50,419 none better before Him 214 00:11:50,419 –> 00:11:52,659 and none like Him after 215 00:11:52,659 –> 00:11:54,320 the Bible says. 216 00:11:54,320 –> 00:11:56,479 The Bible records of this man 217 00:11:56,479 –> 00:11:58,119 who walked with God 218 00:11:58,119 –> 00:12:00,679 that when an unexpected crisis came 219 00:12:00,679 –> 00:12:03,119 he felt fragile. 220 00:12:03,119 –> 00:12:04,580 He was anxious. 221 00:12:05,500 –> 00:12:06,979 And he got weary. 222 00:12:07,859 –> 00:12:10,840 And if it was like that for Hezekiah, 223 00:12:12,340 –> 00:12:15,080 don’t be surprised if it’s like that 224 00:12:16,299 –> 00:12:18,020 for you. 225 00:12:18,020 –> 00:12:19,599 This is not a failure 226 00:12:19,599 –> 00:12:20,940 of your faith. 227 00:12:21,820 –> 00:12:24,539 It is simply the reality 228 00:12:24,539 –> 00:12:25,919 of our humanity. 229 00:12:27,140 –> 00:12:29,299 That’s what he felt. 230 00:12:30,659 –> 00:12:32,820 Now secondly, he tells us, 231 00:12:32,820 –> 00:12:34,380 and this is very significant 232 00:12:34,520 –> 00:12:36,500 what he feared. 233 00:12:36,500 –> 00:12:38,500 And again there are three things 234 00:12:38,500 –> 00:12:41,219 that this godly king feared 235 00:12:41,219 –> 00:12:44,539 when he came to the unexpected crisis. 236 00:12:44,539 –> 00:12:47,059 And the first was that he feared 237 00:12:47,059 –> 00:12:49,500 separation from loved ones. 238 00:12:49,500 –> 00:12:50,780 Verse 11, 239 00:12:50,780 –> 00:12:52,059 I said, 240 00:12:52,059 –> 00:12:54,320 I shall not see the Lord, 241 00:12:54,320 –> 00:12:57,559 the Lord in the land of the living. 242 00:12:57,559 –> 00:13:01,179 I shall look on man no more 243 00:13:01,200 –> 00:13:05,119 among the inhabitants of the world. 244 00:13:05,119 –> 00:13:07,940 Now notice carefully what he says. 245 00:13:07,940 –> 00:13:08,780 He says, 246 00:13:08,780 –> 00:13:13,479 I shall not see the Lord in the land of the living. 247 00:13:13,479 –> 00:13:18,039 Now Hezekiah knows that he will see the Lord 248 00:13:18,039 –> 00:13:20,460 in the world that is to come. 249 00:13:20,460 –> 00:13:24,500 His point is that he will no longer see the Lord 250 00:13:24,500 –> 00:13:26,659 as he has done in the past 251 00:13:26,659 –> 00:13:28,380 when he’s gone up to the temple 252 00:13:28,500 –> 00:13:32,299 to worship with all of God’s people gathered together. 253 00:13:32,299 –> 00:13:35,059 See, when we worship, 254 00:13:35,059 –> 00:13:39,140 we behold the beauty of the Lord. 255 00:13:39,140 –> 00:13:40,840 The Psalms say this quite clearly, 256 00:13:40,840 –> 00:13:42,719 Psalm 63 in verse two, 257 00:13:42,719 –> 00:13:43,559 David says, 258 00:13:43,559 –> 00:13:47,599 I have looked upon you in the sanctuary 259 00:13:47,599 –> 00:13:51,020 beholding your power and your glory. 260 00:13:51,020 –> 00:13:52,299 So when we worship 261 00:13:52,299 –> 00:13:55,479 we anticipate by faith 262 00:13:55,820 –> 00:14:00,320 what one day we will enjoy by sight 263 00:14:00,320 –> 00:14:05,320 beholding the very face of almighty God. 264 00:14:06,700 –> 00:14:08,820 And that’s why Hezekiah could say 265 00:14:08,820 –> 00:14:11,640 with all who were godly in the Old Testament 266 00:14:11,640 –> 00:14:13,520 and all who are godly today. 267 00:14:13,520 –> 00:14:17,299 I was glad when they said to me 268 00:14:17,299 –> 00:14:20,380 let us go up to the house of the Lord. 269 00:14:20,380 –> 00:14:21,520 This King was godly, 270 00:14:21,520 –> 00:14:25,179 he loved gathering with God’s own people. 271 00:14:25,179 –> 00:14:30,179 He loved beholding the face of God by faith in worship. 272 00:14:31,159 –> 00:14:34,599 And the thought that he would no longer be able to do that, 273 00:14:34,599 –> 00:14:37,919 no longer able to worship with the people of God, 274 00:14:37,919 –> 00:14:39,960 that was hard for him to bear. 275 00:14:39,960 –> 00:14:41,380 If my days are done 276 00:14:41,380 –> 00:14:44,380 I will no longer be able to go to the temple. 277 00:14:45,400 –> 00:14:48,460 I shall look on man no more 278 00:14:49,440 –> 00:14:53,200 among the inhabitants of the world. 279 00:14:53,880 –> 00:14:58,880 Now, that speaks so directly to where we are today. 280 00:14:59,479 –> 00:15:02,619 We miss seeing each other. 281 00:15:03,760 –> 00:15:06,140 We miss being together. 282 00:15:07,599 –> 00:15:11,400 But remember that here Hezekiah is not dealing 283 00:15:11,400 –> 00:15:15,020 with the inconvenience of a temporary shutdown. 284 00:15:16,159 –> 00:15:19,679 He’s at the point of death 285 00:15:20,640 –> 00:15:25,780 and he fears leaving his loved ones. 286 00:15:27,159 –> 00:15:32,159 It’s too soon and just not ready to say goodbye 287 00:15:32,200 –> 00:15:34,099 to the people that I love. 288 00:15:36,039 –> 00:15:40,039 Now remember that Hezekiah is a godly man. 289 00:15:40,039 –> 00:15:44,840 Ahead of him is an eternal and joyful life. 290 00:15:44,840 –> 00:15:48,700 But it’s still really hard to say goodbye. 291 00:15:50,559 –> 00:15:51,820 You know, in the New Testament, 292 00:15:51,820 –> 00:15:55,640 Paul speaks about a man called Epaphroditus, 293 00:15:55,640 –> 00:16:00,340 who was a dearly loved friend of the apostle Paul. 294 00:16:00,340 –> 00:16:02,799 And the apostle says this about him. 295 00:16:02,799 –> 00:16:07,640 He was ill, he was near to death. 296 00:16:08,500 –> 00:16:12,760 But God had mercy on him. 297 00:16:12,760 –> 00:16:14,280 And not only on him, 298 00:16:14,280 –> 00:16:19,280 but on me also lest I should have sorrow upon me. 299 00:16:20,039 –> 00:16:21,020 Upon sorrow. 300 00:16:22,640 –> 00:16:23,880 And that’s love speaking. 301 00:16:25,500 –> 00:16:27,039 The apostle Paul doesn’t say, 302 00:16:27,039 –> 00:16:32,039 well, if Epaphroditus dies, he goes to heaven. 303 00:16:32,599 –> 00:16:37,500 No, he says to lose him for me would be sorrow upon sorrow. 304 00:16:39,880 –> 00:16:42,739 I could hardly bear the thought of being without him. 305 00:16:43,919 –> 00:16:46,960 And you see, that’s what Hezekiah feared. 306 00:16:46,960 –> 00:16:49,419 I shall look on man no more. 307 00:16:49,419 –> 00:16:53,580 I’m not ready to say goodbye to the people I love. 308 00:16:55,659 –> 00:16:59,700 And some of you know this anguish. 309 00:17:01,500 –> 00:17:05,380 The Lord has taken home someone who you love 310 00:17:06,739 –> 00:17:08,500 and you miss them. 311 00:17:10,099 –> 00:17:13,180 And you miss them all the more intently 312 00:17:14,099 –> 00:17:17,020 in these strange days of isolation 313 00:17:18,140 –> 00:17:19,959 in which we find ourselves. 314 00:17:22,520 –> 00:17:24,579 Value your loved ones. 315 00:17:26,199 –> 00:17:30,900 Love those God has given to you now really well. 316 00:17:32,219 –> 00:17:34,400 Don’t take them for granted. 317 00:17:35,719 –> 00:17:39,040 A day will come when you will no longer be with them 318 00:17:39,040 –> 00:17:41,300 or they will no longer be with you. 319 00:17:41,959 –> 00:17:44,099 Love them well. 320 00:17:44,099 –> 00:17:48,780 And cherish the gifts of God in your life. 321 00:17:50,780 –> 00:17:54,500 Now we’re looking at what this king feared 322 00:17:54,500 –> 00:17:58,500 when he came to the unexpected crisis. 323 00:17:58,500 –> 00:18:02,319 He feared being separated from the people that he loved. 324 00:18:03,420 –> 00:18:06,119 And then as he thought about his own life, 325 00:18:07,020 –> 00:18:08,900 he feared being cut off. 326 00:18:08,900 –> 00:18:10,900 Look at verse 10 and then verse 12 327 00:18:11,800 –> 00:18:14,400 I said, so he’s now reflecting 328 00:18:14,400 –> 00:18:17,239 on his experience and his fears 329 00:18:17,239 –> 00:18:18,939 right in the middle of the crisis, 330 00:18:18,939 –> 00:18:21,239 when I was going through it, I said, 331 00:18:21,239 –> 00:18:25,239 in the middle of my days, I must depart. 332 00:18:26,140 –> 00:18:31,140 Then verse 12, like a weaver, I have rolled up my life. 333 00:18:32,479 –> 00:18:37,140 He that is God cuts me off from the loom. 334 00:18:37,140 –> 00:18:40,040 From day to night you bring me. 335 00:18:41,180 –> 00:18:42,199 To an end. 336 00:18:43,439 –> 00:18:45,180 Now here, he’s using this picture. 337 00:18:45,180 –> 00:18:47,099 He’s talked about his own body 338 00:18:47,099 –> 00:18:50,000 as being like a tent, the fragile structure. 339 00:18:50,000 –> 00:18:52,319 Now he speaks about his whole life 340 00:18:52,319 –> 00:18:57,319 as being like fabric, being woven on a weaver’s loom. 341 00:18:58,540 –> 00:19:01,380 The threads of your life, think about this, 342 00:19:01,380 –> 00:19:06,280 are woven together by Almighty God. 343 00:19:06,280 –> 00:19:09,719 Some of these threads are of a bright color. 344 00:19:09,719 –> 00:19:12,760 Some of them are of darker colors. 345 00:19:12,760 –> 00:19:16,020 But together, God weaves all the experiences 346 00:19:16,020 –> 00:19:18,420 of all the days of your life together 347 00:19:18,420 –> 00:19:22,739 into this fabric, this cloth, that is your life, 348 00:19:22,739 –> 00:19:25,739 and there it is being woven on the loom. 349 00:19:26,780 –> 00:19:31,780 But then one day, the weaver comes 350 00:19:32,160 –> 00:19:36,260 and he cuts the fabric off the loom. 351 00:19:36,260 –> 00:19:37,099 That’s it. 352 00:19:37,739 –> 00:19:39,160 It’s done. 353 00:19:40,300 –> 00:19:43,359 He cuts me off from the loom. 354 00:19:44,560 –> 00:19:47,099 Your life on earth is over. 355 00:19:47,099 –> 00:19:50,859 Nothing more is going to be added. 356 00:19:52,280 –> 00:19:55,300 And that is what Hezekiah fears. 357 00:19:56,180 –> 00:19:58,380 And it’s all happened so quickly. 358 00:19:58,380 –> 00:20:01,260 Notice he says here from day to night 359 00:20:01,260 –> 00:20:03,160 you bring me to an end. 360 00:20:04,060 –> 00:20:06,119 An unexpected crisis has brought 361 00:20:06,119 –> 00:20:08,920 this man’s life to a grinding halt. 362 00:20:09,839 –> 00:20:11,660 Hezekiah became sick 363 00:20:12,579 –> 00:20:16,000 and suddenly everything is changed. 364 00:20:17,060 –> 00:20:19,739 And he’s not even an old man. 365 00:20:19,739 –> 00:20:23,180 Verse 10, in the middle of my days, 366 00:20:23,180 –> 00:20:25,339 he’s only in mid-life. 367 00:20:25,339 –> 00:20:26,640 In the middle of my days, 368 00:20:26,640 –> 00:20:28,780 he cuts me off from the loom. 369 00:20:28,780 –> 00:20:32,239 See Hezekiah had assumed as we tend all to assume 370 00:20:32,280 –> 00:20:35,239 that he would live a long, long life. 371 00:20:37,119 –> 00:20:39,560 And now he finds he has no more years 372 00:20:41,479 –> 00:20:44,280 and he is in anguish. 373 00:20:45,579 –> 00:20:48,260 So many things that I wanted to do 374 00:20:49,319 –> 00:20:50,579 and now I’m out of time. 375 00:20:50,579 –> 00:20:55,239 So many good intentions and none of them now will get done. 376 00:20:57,239 –> 00:21:01,560 Friend, let’s take this to our hearts from the Bible today. 377 00:21:01,560 –> 00:21:06,560 You do not have forever to do what God calls you to do. 378 00:21:07,400 –> 00:21:09,239 Seize the day, 379 00:21:10,520 –> 00:21:14,800 make the most of every opportunity that you have. 380 00:21:14,800 –> 00:21:18,140 Redeem the time for it is short. 381 00:21:19,560 –> 00:21:23,520 Jesus said, we must work the works of him 382 00:21:23,520 –> 00:21:25,479 who sent me, 383 00:21:25,479 –> 00:21:26,699 while it is day, 384 00:21:26,699 –> 00:21:28,699 because the night is coming 385 00:21:29,000 –> 00:21:33,319 when no one can work. 386 00:21:33,319 –> 00:21:38,020 See, one day your life will be cut off the loom. 387 00:21:40,020 –> 00:21:42,839 You’ll come to a place of knowing that’s it, 388 00:21:43,719 –> 00:21:46,520 I’ve done all that I’m going to do. 389 00:21:47,459 –> 00:21:49,459 My life is now woven 390 00:21:50,880 –> 00:21:55,880 and nothing more will be added to my life in this world. 391 00:21:56,819 –> 00:22:00,920 Now friends nothing is more important for us today 392 00:22:00,920 –> 00:22:05,359 than this, that we use our time in this world 393 00:22:05,359 –> 00:22:07,939 to prepare for the next. 394 00:22:08,920 –> 00:22:13,540 Robert Bruce, the pastor that I quoted from last week 395 00:22:13,540 –> 00:22:18,540 says this, a man must be out of his mind 396 00:22:20,079 –> 00:22:24,040 to invest his future happiness in a place 397 00:22:24,459 –> 00:22:27,400 in a place where he cannot remain 398 00:22:28,579 –> 00:22:30,859 and where he has no idea 399 00:22:30,859 –> 00:22:33,579 when he will be called on to depart. 400 00:22:35,560 –> 00:22:37,680 That’s to be out of your mind, he says. 401 00:22:38,619 –> 00:22:40,680 To invest all your future happiness 402 00:22:40,680 –> 00:22:43,079 in a place where you know you cannot remain 403 00:22:43,079 –> 00:22:44,959 and you have absolutely no idea 404 00:22:44,959 –> 00:22:47,079 of when you will be called to depart. 405 00:22:49,719 –> 00:22:53,520 So use your time in this world 406 00:22:54,939 –> 00:22:59,300 to prepare for your arrival in the next. 407 00:23:01,099 –> 00:23:03,020 What did Hezekiah fear 408 00:23:03,020 –> 00:23:06,160 as he went through this unexpected crisis? 409 00:23:06,160 –> 00:23:09,680 Well, he feared being separated from loved ones. 410 00:23:10,579 –> 00:23:12,660 He feared being cut off. 411 00:23:12,660 –> 00:23:17,479 No more opportunity to add anything further to his life. 412 00:23:19,219 –> 00:23:20,859 And then he feared one more thing 413 00:23:21,160 –> 00:23:26,160 that caused him more anguish than any other, 414 00:23:27,839 –> 00:23:29,739 and it was this. 415 00:23:29,739 –> 00:23:33,839 He feared that God Himself might be against him. 416 00:23:35,099 –> 00:23:36,339 Look at verse 13. 417 00:23:37,359 –> 00:23:41,459 I calmed myself until morning, 418 00:23:41,459 –> 00:23:45,500 and now we’re told the reason why he could find no rest, 419 00:23:45,500 –> 00:23:47,739 why he was struggling through the night 420 00:23:47,739 –> 00:23:49,920 and why through these hours 421 00:23:49,920 –> 00:23:52,119 he just couldn’t settle. 422 00:23:54,079 –> 00:23:59,079 Like a lion, he that is God breaks all my bones. 423 00:24:00,400 –> 00:24:01,560 Now you see what he’s saying? 424 00:24:01,560 –> 00:24:03,199 He’s using this picture. 425 00:24:03,199 –> 00:24:05,839 He’s lying there in bed at night, 426 00:24:05,839 –> 00:24:07,599 and here’s this godly king. 427 00:24:07,599 –> 00:24:12,140 He feels as if he is being mauled by a lion, 428 00:24:14,280 –> 00:24:19,280 and what he fears is that the lion that is mauling him 429 00:24:20,239 –> 00:24:22,459 is actually almighty God. 430 00:24:24,560 –> 00:24:29,319 Like a lion, he breaks all my bones. 431 00:24:31,380 –> 00:24:36,380 Now why in the world would a godly king fear 432 00:24:36,640 –> 00:24:38,479 that God might be against him? 433 00:24:40,160 –> 00:24:42,060 And the answer surely is this, 434 00:24:43,219 –> 00:24:48,219 that a godly man knows that even at his best, 435 00:24:50,199 –> 00:24:52,400 he falls far short of all 436 00:24:52,400 –> 00:24:56,119 that God has called him to be and to do. 437 00:24:58,560 –> 00:25:01,339 Now friends, I am so thankful 438 00:25:02,420 –> 00:25:06,199 for the sheer honesty of these verses. 439 00:25:06,199 –> 00:25:09,520 Aren’t you thankful that the Bible speaks to reality? 440 00:25:09,520 –> 00:25:11,640 There’s real honesty here. 441 00:25:11,640 –> 00:25:14,359 Hezekiah doesn’t come out of the crisis saying, 442 00:25:14,359 –> 00:25:16,719 oh, well, I got to the point of death and I prayed 443 00:25:16,719 –> 00:25:19,619 and God wonderfully healed me and isn’t it all marvelous? 444 00:25:19,619 –> 00:25:21,719 No, he tells us the inside story. 445 00:25:21,719 –> 00:25:24,839 He tells us what it was really like 446 00:25:24,839 –> 00:25:29,839 to plow through the anguish of this unexpected crisis. 447 00:25:31,800 –> 00:25:34,979 He tells us I felt fragile. 448 00:25:34,979 –> 00:25:38,939 I was anxious and I was weary 449 00:25:38,939 –> 00:25:42,500 and I feared being separated from the people that I loved. 450 00:25:42,500 –> 00:25:45,000 I feared that my life was gonna be cut off 451 00:25:45,000 –> 00:25:46,880 and nothing more would be added 452 00:25:46,880 –> 00:25:48,780 and I feared most of all 453 00:25:48,780 –> 00:25:50,420 as I looked at my own life, 454 00:25:50,420 –> 00:25:55,060 I feared that it might be God Himself who was against me. 455 00:25:58,660 –> 00:26:03,099 Now friends, this is teaching us something 456 00:26:03,099 –> 00:26:07,660 that is supremely important for us to grasp today 457 00:26:07,660 –> 00:26:09,060 and it’s this, 458 00:26:09,060 –> 00:26:13,140 Christians experience anguish. 459 00:26:14,140 –> 00:26:19,140 Christians experience anguish. 460 00:26:20,339 –> 00:26:24,300 Hezekiah, the most godly king, 461 00:26:24,300 –> 00:26:27,900 knows what it is to feel fragile, 462 00:26:27,900 –> 00:26:32,219 to feel anxious and to feel weary. 463 00:26:32,219 –> 00:26:37,180 A man who walked with God knew what it was 464 00:26:37,180 –> 00:26:40,939 to fear being separated from loved ones, 465 00:26:41,500 –> 00:26:43,560 to contemplate the awful thought 466 00:26:43,560 –> 00:26:46,439 that his life early was being cut off 467 00:26:48,239 –> 00:26:53,239 and to fear that God Himself might even be against him. 468 00:26:55,640 –> 00:26:57,400 This was the experience of a man 469 00:26:57,400 –> 00:26:59,459 who walked with God in the Old Testament 470 00:26:59,459 –> 00:27:02,660 and you find the same in the New Testament too, 471 00:27:02,660 –> 00:27:05,400 for example, the apostle Paul says, 472 00:27:05,400 –> 00:27:07,800 when we came into Macedonia, 473 00:27:07,800 –> 00:27:10,260 our bodies had no rest. 474 00:27:11,160 –> 00:27:13,239 We were afflicted at every turn, 475 00:27:13,239 –> 00:27:17,959 fighting without, and fear within. 476 00:27:17,959 –> 00:27:21,260 Now, if the apostle Paul knew what it was 477 00:27:22,359 –> 00:27:25,239 to find no rest for his body, 478 00:27:25,239 –> 00:27:27,040 just couldn’t settle, 479 00:27:27,040 –> 00:27:30,239 he couldn’t establish peace within his own heart 480 00:27:30,239 –> 00:27:32,239 and in his own mind, he struggled, 481 00:27:32,239 –> 00:27:34,599 he found fears rising up within him. 482 00:27:34,599 –> 00:27:36,400 Well, you’re going to know that battle too 483 00:27:36,400 –> 00:27:37,500 and so am I. 484 00:27:38,500 –> 00:27:43,500 And even the Son of God Himself says, 485 00:27:45,380 –> 00:27:47,920 John chapter 12 in verse 27, 486 00:27:47,920 –> 00:27:52,180 now my soul is troubled. 487 00:27:54,239 –> 00:27:57,319 At the last supper, when He is with His disciples, 488 00:27:57,319 –> 00:28:01,839 Jesus, John records, was troubled in His spirit. 489 00:28:02,739 –> 00:28:07,359 And when He goes into the Garden of Gethsemane, 490 00:28:07,359 –> 00:28:12,099 He says my soul is overwhelmed with sorrow. 491 00:28:14,000 –> 00:28:16,000 Now if that’s what you’re feeling today, 492 00:28:17,119 –> 00:28:20,819 your Lord Jesus Christ has been there. 493 00:28:21,760 –> 00:28:25,800 And if the Holy Son of God knew what it was 494 00:28:25,800 –> 00:28:28,920 for his soul to be overwhelmed with sorrow, 495 00:28:28,920 –> 00:28:31,079 then so will we. 496 00:28:31,079 –> 00:28:35,359 Let’s settle this in our minds and in our hearts 497 00:28:35,359 –> 00:28:37,640 so that we are not taken by surprise. 498 00:28:37,640 –> 00:28:42,640 The Bible makes clear that Christians experience anguish. 499 00:28:45,719 –> 00:28:47,920 Now then, what are we to do? 500 00:28:49,160 –> 00:28:52,680 What are we to do when what Hezekiah experienced 501 00:28:52,680 –> 00:28:55,239 becomes our experience too? 502 00:28:55,239 –> 00:28:57,540 And here’s what I want to give you 503 00:28:57,739 –> 00:29:00,819 as a way of counsel and hope and encouragement 504 00:29:00,819 –> 00:29:04,219 in the middle of this unexpected crisis today. 505 00:29:05,420 –> 00:29:10,420 Let your anguish lead you to Jesus. 506 00:29:12,040 –> 00:29:16,880 Let your anguish lead you to Jesus. 507 00:29:18,500 –> 00:29:23,500 When you fear being separated from loved ones 508 00:29:24,479 –> 00:29:29,479 let your anguish lead you to Jesus. 509 00:29:30,099 –> 00:29:31,140 Think about this, 510 00:29:32,020 –> 00:29:35,060 your Lord Jesus knows what it is 511 00:29:35,060 –> 00:29:39,079 to be separated from loved ones. 512 00:29:39,079 –> 00:29:42,699 At the last supper, He said to His disciples, 513 00:29:42,699 –> 00:29:45,300 ”I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine 514 00:29:45,300 –> 00:29:48,239 until the day I drink it anew with you 515 00:29:48,239 –> 00:29:50,099 in my Father’s Kingdom. 516 00:29:50,199 –> 00:29:53,500 And then, the scripture says they sang a hymn 517 00:29:53,500 –> 00:29:55,660 and they went out. 518 00:29:55,660 –> 00:30:00,660 It was the beginning of Jesus being taken from His friends.” 519 00:30:04,579 –> 00:30:08,939 Jesus knows what it is to be separated from loved ones. 520 00:30:10,339 –> 00:30:15,339 No one has ever loved with a more perfect love 521 00:30:15,739 –> 00:30:17,780 than the Lord Jesus Christ. 522 00:30:18,560 –> 00:30:21,959 And with all his heart, 523 00:30:23,140 –> 00:30:28,020 our Lord Jesus would have wanted to care for his mother. 524 00:30:29,180 –> 00:30:32,119 But on the cross, when his life on Earth 525 00:30:32,119 –> 00:30:34,500 is coming to an end, 526 00:30:34,500 –> 00:30:38,739 he has to trust the care of the mother he loves 527 00:30:39,780 –> 00:30:42,020 into the hand of someone else. 528 00:30:43,380 –> 00:30:46,780 He trusts his mother into the hand of John. 529 00:30:46,780 –> 00:30:50,459 He looks at John and says, behold, your mother. 530 00:30:50,459 –> 00:30:54,199 And he looks at his mother and he says, 531 00:30:54,199 –> 00:30:57,520 woman, behold your son. 532 00:30:59,359 –> 00:31:03,060 For many of us in these days, 533 00:31:04,040 –> 00:31:07,319 the greatest distress is not being able 534 00:31:07,319 –> 00:31:09,599 to be with the ones we love. 535 00:31:11,119 –> 00:31:14,140 And Jesus knows what it is 536 00:31:15,000 –> 00:31:17,400 to be separated from loved ones. 537 00:31:18,500 –> 00:31:22,180 When you are separated from your loved ones, 538 00:31:23,140 –> 00:31:28,140 let your anguish lead you to Jesus. 539 00:31:30,160 –> 00:31:31,800 And then think about this. 540 00:31:33,599 –> 00:31:38,599 As we are separated from those who we love 541 00:31:38,660 –> 00:31:43,599 and as sometimes we are not able to help others 542 00:31:46,900 –> 00:31:48,880 in the way that we would wish. 543 00:31:50,560 –> 00:31:54,660 I was speaking this week to my friend Johnny Prime 544 00:31:54,660 –> 00:31:58,839 who serves as a pastor to pastors 545 00:31:58,839 –> 00:32:00,599 with the free church denomination 546 00:32:00,599 –> 00:32:04,400 that is the FIEC in England. 547 00:32:04,400 –> 00:32:08,540 Pastors are calling him up and asking for advice. 548 00:32:09,560 –> 00:32:12,900 And I said, so Johnny, what are pastors asking you? 549 00:32:12,900 –> 00:32:15,680 What are the most frequently asked questions? 550 00:32:15,680 –> 00:32:18,680 And he said this, well pastors are saying this, 551 00:32:18,680 –> 00:32:23,680 what are we to do when people who we love and care for 552 00:32:24,160 –> 00:32:25,800 are dying in the hospital 553 00:32:25,800 –> 00:32:28,040 and we can’t even get in there to visit them? 554 00:32:30,060 –> 00:32:31,699 And I said, Johnny what are you telling them 555 00:32:31,699 –> 00:32:32,939 by way of an answer? 556 00:32:34,579 –> 00:32:39,579 And he said this, I’m saying your ministry 557 00:32:41,060 –> 00:32:45,859 is to help people know that the Lord is their shepherd 558 00:32:47,099 –> 00:32:49,140 and that when they go through the valley 559 00:32:49,140 –> 00:32:52,459 of the shadow of death, he will be with them. 560 00:32:53,500 –> 00:32:57,939 Your job is not to have people looking to you. 561 00:32:59,060 –> 00:33:04,060 Your job is to help people look to Jesus Christ. 562 00:33:05,040 –> 00:33:10,040 There is only one person who can ever truly say to you, 563 00:33:11,060 –> 00:33:14,140 I will never leave you. 564 00:33:14,140 –> 00:33:15,560 I will never forsake yu. 565 00:33:16,959 –> 00:33:18,959 And it’s not your husband or your wife, 566 00:33:18,959 –> 00:33:20,119 your father or your mother. 567 00:33:20,119 –> 00:33:22,319 It’s not your son or your daughter or your colleague 568 00:33:22,319 –> 00:33:23,619 or your very best friend. 569 00:33:25,800 –> 00:33:28,219 The only person who can truly say to you, 570 00:33:28,219 –> 00:33:30,060 I will never leave you. 571 00:33:30,060 –> 00:33:34,020 I will never forsake you is the Lord himself. 572 00:33:34,060 –> 00:33:39,020 And if the Lord is your shepherd, you will not want. 573 00:33:40,699 –> 00:33:43,140 Even though you walk through the valley 574 00:33:43,140 –> 00:33:46,619 of the shadow of death, you need fear no evil 575 00:33:46,619 –> 00:33:48,339 for he will be with you. 576 00:33:48,339 –> 00:33:52,239 His rod and staff, they will comfort you. 577 00:33:52,239 –> 00:33:55,420 His goodness and mercy will follow you 578 00:33:55,420 –> 00:33:59,819 and you will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. 579 00:34:00,339 –> 00:34:05,339 When you fear being separated from those you love, 580 00:34:07,780 –> 00:34:12,780 let your anguish lead you to Jesus. 581 00:34:15,100 –> 00:34:20,100 And then think about this, when you fear being cut off, 582 00:34:20,800 –> 00:34:25,800 let your anguish lead you to Jesus. 583 00:34:26,340 –> 00:34:29,659 Jesus knows what it is to be cut off. 584 00:34:30,679 –> 00:34:35,560 Isaiah tells us of Jesus in Chapter 53 and verse 8, 585 00:34:35,560 –> 00:34:40,000 He was cut off from the land of the living. 586 00:34:40,000 –> 00:34:43,459 And our Lord Jesus died at the age of about 33. 587 00:34:44,419 –> 00:34:47,860 He could say with Hezekiah in verse 10 of our chapter, 588 00:34:47,860 –> 00:34:51,320 in the middle of my days, I must depart. 589 00:34:52,419 –> 00:34:54,540 But here’s the good news that we celebrate 590 00:34:54,540 –> 00:34:57,100 today and every day, 591 00:34:57,120 –> 00:35:01,639 death could not keep hold of our Lord Jesus Christ. 592 00:35:01,639 –> 00:35:04,320 On the third day, he rose from the grave 593 00:35:04,320 –> 00:35:09,139 and now he lives in the power of an endless life. 594 00:35:09,139 –> 00:35:11,679 And for those who trust in him, 595 00:35:11,679 –> 00:35:14,959 death, whenever it comes, 596 00:35:14,959 –> 00:35:17,439 will be a translation 597 00:35:17,439 –> 00:35:21,320 into a new life, in his immediate presence, 598 00:35:21,320 –> 00:35:23,040 that is going to be better 599 00:35:23,500 –> 00:35:26,739 for you brother and sister, by far. 600 00:35:27,600 –> 00:35:29,860 Death, when it comes, 601 00:35:29,860 –> 00:35:32,719 will cut you off from your loved ones 602 00:35:32,719 –> 00:35:34,780 and that is so hard, 603 00:35:36,159 –> 00:35:40,300 but you can know this with assurance 604 00:35:40,300 –> 00:35:43,939 that nothing in life or in death 605 00:35:43,939 –> 00:35:48,939 will ever be able to separate you 606 00:35:48,979 –> 00:35:53,979 from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 607 00:35:55,459 –> 00:35:59,379 So I’m saying today when you fear being cut off, 608 00:35:59,379 –> 00:36:04,379 let your anguish lead you to Jesus, 609 00:36:05,679 –> 00:36:10,419 and then finally when you fear that God may be against you, 610 00:36:10,419 –> 00:36:15,419 let your anguish lead you to Jesus. 611 00:36:15,620 –> 00:36:18,520 To fear that God may be against you, 612 00:36:18,520 –> 00:36:22,379 of course, is the worst fear of all. 613 00:36:22,379 –> 00:36:24,580 I mean, if God were to be against me, 614 00:36:24,580 –> 00:36:27,840 what chance could I possibly have? 615 00:36:27,840 –> 00:36:32,840 None whatsoever, and I want to say to anyone today 616 00:36:33,280 –> 00:36:36,239 who is still resisting the claim 617 00:36:36,239 –> 00:36:39,379 of Jesus Christ upon your life, 618 00:36:40,800 –> 00:36:42,199 what are you doing? 619 00:36:43,520 –> 00:36:45,719 What are you thinking about? 620 00:36:45,780 –> 00:36:49,639 You resisting Almighty God, 621 00:36:51,439 –> 00:36:54,540 what chance do you possibly have with that? 622 00:36:56,800 –> 00:36:59,300 Now, listen to the good news of the gospel 623 00:36:59,300 –> 00:37:03,879 because God is ready for you to be reconciled to Him today. 624 00:37:05,040 –> 00:37:09,399 When Jesus suffered and died for us on the cross, 625 00:37:09,399 –> 00:37:12,219 the hand of God was against Him. 626 00:37:13,219 –> 00:37:17,639 When He bore our sins, He was cut off, 627 00:37:17,639 –> 00:37:21,699 even from the comfort of knowing His Father’s love, 628 00:37:21,699 –> 00:37:23,820 that’s why He cried out in a loud voice, 629 00:37:23,820 –> 00:37:28,820 “‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ 630 00:37:30,439 –> 00:37:32,100 He was forsaken 631 00:37:33,379 –> 00:37:35,939 so that you my friend could be welcomed, 632 00:37:37,379 –> 00:37:41,679 He was condemned so that you could be forgiven 633 00:37:42,739 –> 00:37:47,020 He was cast out so that you could be brought in 634 00:37:48,060 –> 00:37:51,600 and He died so that you might live 635 00:37:53,340 –> 00:37:57,120 if you fear that God may be against you 636 00:37:57,120 –> 00:38:00,459 let your anguish lead you to Jesus 637 00:38:01,379 –> 00:38:06,379 in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself 638 00:38:07,379 –> 00:38:12,379 God is for us in Jesus Christ 639 00:38:13,860 –> 00:38:17,500 And if God be for us, who can be against us 640 00:38:17,500 –> 00:38:21,899 He did not spare his one and only son 641 00:38:21,899 –> 00:38:24,979 how will he not also along with Him 642 00:38:24,979 –> 00:38:26,939 graciously, give us 643 00:38:27,780 –> 00:38:30,340 all that we need 644 00:38:31,060 –> 00:38:36,739 My pastor, Derek Prime 645 00:38:37,379 –> 00:38:40,459 died in Edinburgh Scotland last week 646 00:38:40,459 –> 00:38:43,459 after having lived a very fool 647 00:38:43,459 –> 00:38:44,979 and remarkable life 648 00:38:46,899 –> 00:38:50,860 He has given to me such a Godly example 649 00:38:50,860 –> 00:38:53,379 and along with many, many others 650 00:38:53,379 –> 00:38:57,659 I am so profoundly thankful to God 651 00:38:57,659 –> 00:38:58,939 for him 652 00:39:00,699 –> 00:39:02,540 and with his going home 653 00:39:02,540 –> 00:39:06,739 the words of his favourite hymn 654 00:39:06,739 –> 00:39:10,500 have been running in my mind 655 00:39:10,500 –> 00:39:12,659 all of this week 656 00:39:12,659 –> 00:39:15,699 and especially because they speak directly 657 00:39:15,699 –> 00:39:19,379 to our experience of anguish 658 00:39:19,379 –> 00:39:20,620 and that’s the reality 659 00:39:20,620 –> 00:39:24,620 in which many of us find ourselves today 660 00:39:24,620 –> 00:39:29,179 how sweet the name of Jesus sounds 661 00:39:29,219 –> 00:39:31,939 in a believer’s ear 662 00:39:31,939 –> 00:39:35,419 it soothes his sorrows 663 00:39:35,419 –> 00:39:38,139 heals his wounds 664 00:39:38,139 –> 00:39:40,939 and drives away 665 00:39:40,939 –> 00:39:42,699 his fear 666 00:39:42,699 –> 00:39:46,860 it makes the wounded spirit whole 667 00:39:46,860 –> 00:39:50,739 and calms the troubled breast 668 00:39:50,739 –> 00:39:52,780 to his manor 669 00:39:52,780 –> 00:39:55,620 to the hungry soul 670 00:39:55,620 –> 00:39:58,260 and to the weary 671 00:39:58,500 –> 00:40:00,780 rest 672 00:40:00,780 –> 00:40:04,020 Do you feel fragile? 673 00:40:04,020 –> 00:40:06,100 Anxious? 674 00:40:06,100 –> 00:40:08,699 Exhausted? 675 00:40:08,699 –> 00:40:11,939 Do you fear being separated from those you love? 676 00:40:11,939 –> 00:40:14,139 Do you fear being cut off? 677 00:40:14,139 –> 00:40:20,580 Have you sometimes feared that God himself might be against you? 678 00:40:20,620 –> 00:40:29,040 Let your anguish lead you to Jesus. 679 00:40:29,040 –> 00:40:31,780 Will you pray with me? 680 00:40:31,780 –> 00:40:34,840 Our Father in heaven, 681 00:40:34,840 –> 00:40:44,419 we pray that the great reality of our lives in this crisis 682 00:40:44,419 –> 00:40:55,100 may be that what we endure leads us closer to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. 683 00:40:55,100 –> 00:40:58,419 Thank you for all that he means to us, 684 00:40:58,419 –> 00:41:06,840 and for all that he means to all of his people in every circumstance of life. 685 00:41:06,840 –> 00:41:12,179 Father, as the anguish of these days is very real, 686 00:41:12,179 –> 00:41:19,179 grant that we may cling to our Saviour, and find in him in our own anxiety, 687 00:41:19,179 –> 00:41:24,459 fragility, and in our own weariness, and in our many fears. 688 00:41:24,459 –> 00:41:30,540 May we find in him what we need to face these days. 689 00:41:30,540 –> 00:41:34,080 And then, O Lord, we pray for those who we love and for many others, 690 00:41:34,080 –> 00:41:36,659 who do not yet know him. 691 00:41:36,800 –> 00:41:47,239 That in your mercy, and in your grace, anguish may lead many to Jesus, 692 00:41:47,239 –> 00:41:51,840 and it is in his wonderful name that we pray. 693 00:41:51,840 –> 00:41:53,459 Amen.

Details

Sermon Series
Date
Primary Audience

Monthly Offer

Get your free copy of ‘The Advent of Glory’ by R. C. Sproul when you set up a monthly gift of at least £5, or a one-off gift of at least £50…

Donate

Colin Smith

Trustee / Founder and Teaching Pastor

Colin Smith is the Senior Pastor of The Orchard Evangelical Free Church in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. He has authored a number of books, including Heaven, How I Got Here and Heaven, So Near – So Far. Colin is the Founder and Teaching Pastor for Open the Bible. Follow him on X formerly Twitter.

Linked resources

No linked resources found.

Search

Search

Header Submit Search